SCRANTON, Pa. -- Anthony "Tippy" Denunzio was greeted with chants of "Tippy, Tippy!" when he entered West Scranton High School Thursday morning.
"When you think of West Scranton High School, you think of Tippy," said Principal Rob Deluca.
Tippy, 83, has cheered on the West Scranton Invaders for the last 54 years, but now, they're cheering Tippy as he retires from the position of equipment manager that he's held since 1965.
"Anybody that went to West Scranton High school knows Tippy, knows the commitment that he's put in, has seen him on every sideline to every game," Deluca said.
"All of our families have went through him. If your family has went to West, like my parents have went through him, my siblings have went through him, and she's just one of the most generous people around here," said cheerleading captain Tatum Repshis.
"The first time I saw him was probably in the stands watching my brother play football, you know, see him standing on the sidelines," said football captain Cayden Merrifield.
A staple in both the school and the community, Tippy's retirement was no ordinary occasion. It was cause for a celebration, complete with a police escort, a performance by the school band, and a special gift: a West Scranton football helmet fit for a local legend.
"Thank you, everybody!" Tippy said.
Tippy says he'll miss the people at West Scranton the most because they've all been such good friends to him.
Playing off his favorite song to sing at games, the students and teachers at West Scranton High School showed Tippy that he's been bringing the sunshine to school every day for the last 54 years.